AFGHANISTAN:PRISONS RIFE WITH TORTURE, U.S. RIGHTS REPORT ASSERTS

Washington — Afghan prisons where Canada consigns detainees captured by itstroops are rife with torture, abuse and corruption, according to the latesthuman-rights assessment by the U.S. State Department.

Canadian troops usually turn detainees over to the Afghan National Police.The State Department said, “The ANP . . . was the predominant governmentinstitution responsible for security in the country. Its performanceengendered mistrust among the local population, and reports of corruptionand mistreatment of citizens in custody were widespread.”

Prison conditions in Afghanistan vary widely, the report says, as does thelevel of police and judicial corruption. Local authorities “routinelytorture and abuse detainees,” the report says. “Torture and abuse consistedof pulling out fingernails and toenails, burning with hot oil, beatings,sexual humiliation, and sodomy.”

The U.S. report was also harsh in its assessment of prison conditions.“Prisons were decrepit, severely overcrowded, and unsanitary.